Survival of the Vicious
by Flipper Boid Skua
Summary: Why is Sierra the way he is? How can someone be so cruel and violent? This story intends to explore the answer as it covers the life of this brutal Flyer from egg to his alliance with Rinkus and Pterano. Please R&R!


Disclaimer: I don't own the Land Before Time franchise or any of its characters.

Hello everyone. Just wanna let you all know: this will probably be the last Land Before Time fanfic I'll make. I'm pretty much running out of ideas, and until something new pops up in my brain (which will be unlikely, BUT not impossible); I'll keep to updating my chapter stories instead. I've always been meaning to write this story for a while, but didn't really feel too motivated to actually start it. But now that I have, please enjoy!

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For many months now, the world has been a very harsh place to live, and it only seems to be getting worse as time went on. The landscape was practically barren, the few trees that managed to take root stripped completely bare of their leaves, and it would be very unlikely that those leaves will be growing back. The sun was intense, even through the dust-abundant atmosphere, which served to make this hostile land look and feel even more unbearable than it already is. Here and there were a few rivers and lakes, where the vast majority of life seemed to have held on.

But even with the bodies of water, very few creatures can live here; many have migrated elsewhere in a near-futile search for a better environment. They stopped for little and their only true delay on their journey was to bring new life into this unforgiving world. As was such the case for two Flyers that had made their temporary home in a small cavern on a cliff face several miles from the nearest source of water. Although the event of laying was usually a momentous occasion, there was little room for that when resources were as scarce as they were. Sacrifices always had to be made for every aspect of life in order to survive, and the act of starting a family would be no exception...

"How many are there, Lusia?"

"Looks to be...five of them."

"...That's too many..."

"Wha-What do you mean?"

"I _mean_, we only need three. Two of them has got to go."

"But, Dactler, I..."

"I'm sorry. But with such lean times, we have to make ends meet."

"I...I know..."

"Good. So when I get back, I expect to see those extra eggs gone."

There was the sound of unfolding wings as an adult male Flyer leapt from his perch at the lip of the nest into the gritty orange sky. His mate Lusia stayed behind, tears building up in her eyes for the first time since that unpleasant conversation. She didn't want her significant other seeing her as weak and as she took a shaky breath, she turned to her nest.

She knew the times were incredibly lean; she knew that plants were dying off at a rate previously unheard of, and although her kind ate mostly Splashers (fish), they were far from unaffected. With so many Leaf-Eaters either dying out or moving on, ravenous Sharpteeth were left in their wake. Although a smart Flyer can always avoid attacks from predators, sometimes they themselves were outsmarted. Just a couple passing's of the Bright Circle ago, she lost her brother, her very dearest friend, to a relentless group of Fast Biters. Now all she had left was her mate, and she'll do anything to keep him happy; if that meant that...

Breaking out into a sob, she reached out a clawed hand and tenderly stroked her eggs, feeling the warmth of life flowing from within them. Her mate was right; they couldn't possibly care for all of them. It was a horrible thing to think or do, but times were tough and she'll have to keep her young ones from suffering. Trembling, she gently took an egg in her hold, bringing it close to her body in a tender hug, some of her tears dripping from her beak and onto the other eggs. It took every bit of her will-power to take those dreadful steps towards the rocky ledge leading to the outside.

"I'm s-sorry... So very... ve-very sorry..." she whimpered softly to the tiny soul within the pale blue and spotted eggshell. Feeling her hind claws grip the edge of the nest, she closed her eyes painfully, choking out a few more words. "Despite this... Mama s-still loves you..." Removing the egg from her chest, she held it out over the edge, shaking even more heavily. Telling herself not to open her eyes, she still found it incredibly difficult to just let go. This was for the good of her family, but it didn't make things any easier. _Just open your claws...Don't even think about it..._ she thought to herself and despite her incredibly powerful maternal instinct, she let go.

She didn't need to open her eyes to see her egg falling, plummeting the long drop towards the ground below, all very clear in her mind's eye. Her light brown body heaving in more sobs, she tried to restrain herself from rescuing the egg, tried to force herself to turn around. But...

"No!" she screeched in pure anguish, as if just now realizing what she has done. Leaping off the ledge, she tucked her wings close to her body as she dove after the tiny vessel of life. The wind howled in her ears, stung her eyes; she knew she was going a reckless speed in a dangerous stunt, but she didn't care. She _had_ to reach that egg, she just _had to_!

A horrible sound filled the air alongside the wind's bellow, the sound of life just lost. To her, it seemed to thunder into her very core and she almost forgot to flare her wings, barely saving herself from meeting the same fate. Slowing, she felt her feet touch ground and she immediately went down on her knees, claws reaching out to take the broken shells and put the nourishing goo back where it belongs. But trying to put the egg back together was useless and she buried her face into her sticky hands, sobbing hopelessly.

What has she done? How could she have done this? She's a horrible mother! That was probably the singularly worst moment in her entire existence! And to think that she'll have to do it one more time... Taking a shaky breath at the realization, she knew she had to get it done, no matter how agonizing it was. It was for the good of her family! She had to sacrifice the few to make the others strong, to give them the best chance of survival.

Despite her body's wish to stay where it was, she stood up and opened her wings. She hesitated for a long moment, looking over her shoulder at the egg's remains and it was only when she heard the distant roar of a sharptooth that she pushed off from the ground and flew back to her nest. Landing delicately on the ledge, she stumbled towards the nest and draped herself over it, her cries still strong. She didn't want to do this, but she had no choice. Dactler would be expecting to see three eggs when he got back and she couldn't disobey him.

Forcibly pulling herself together, she sat up and her hand hovered uncertainly over the eggs, reluctant to figure out which one will have to go. Taking another deep breath, she closed her eyes and picked at random, unable to consciously decide which will meet their early dooms. Feeling her claws close around one unfortunate egg, she hastily turned around towards the ledge, not wanting to think about it and prolong her torture. Once more feeling the edge at her feet, she held the egg out.

But something was different this time. No matter how hard she tried, her claws just will not release the egg. Perhaps her maternal instincts were fighting back at full force; perhaps the trauma of the last egg-murder was too much to bear repeating. Whatever it was, it was certainly powerful and Lusia physically winced at the effort to override it. Staring at the egg, she mentally screamed at herself to do it; just drop the egg and never look back. She could do this! She could… She couldn't…

With an anguished cry, she turned away from the ledge and collapsed onto her knees once more, holding the precious egg close to her body. Shaking her head, she knew she couldn't go through with it, not again. She didn't care about the consequences; she wanted to keep her babies as they were. Standing shakily after a while, she went back to her nest.

Her mate will not approve of this. But whatever he doesn't know can't harm him, at least for now. Grabbing a small amount of nest material from the main batch of eggs and replacing the fortunate egg in its original place, she went back outside, spread her wings and took off higher up the sheer cliff, searching for a good-sized crevice. Finding one, she landed by it, clinging to the outside wall with her claws. Tucking the nest material inside, she instinctively crafted it to house a single egg safely. Satisfied, she released her hold and dove back to the nest.

Taking the egg, she nuzzled it lovingly as she took it outside towards its new home. Landing with one set of claws full was a bit difficult, but she was able to handle it. Placing the egg on its personal nest, she made sure it was snug and warm. Smiling tenderly, she brushed her beak against it in a gentle kiss before flying back down and sitting on the main ledge.

She knew she was taking a huge risk in doing this. What if her mate found out? What if the egg wouldn't be warm enough? What if another Flyer found it, a Sharptooth Flyer? All sorts of questions were playing in her mind and all she had for an answer: she'll do her best and hope for a miracle. She'll stay out here when guarding her nest, to make sure _nobody_ intruded this small stretch of cliff. Glancing up at the now darkening sky, she felt a wave of hope washing over her.

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The first short little prologue showing Sierra's mother and father. Yes, that lucky little egg is who you think it is, and he better count his blessings to be alive. And you know, it's about time I write a story focusing on my all-time favorite LBT character! :D I hoped you enjoyed this sad little intro and will review!


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